That God’s Voice is heard by Australians including those in power. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice” John 10:27. See God’s Voice Shakes the Desert by Ps Norman Miller, Psalms 29:3,4 & 8 https://youtu.be/60GJRNMzwXw
- That the Judeo-Christian heritage of our nation be strengthened and influence decision-making at all levels in our nation including regarding the Voice. “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24
- That the church will have the anointing of the sons of Isaachar, that is, know and discern the times and the seasons and what the church and nation should do re the Voice (“of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred, and all their brethren were at their command” – 1 Chronicles 12:32). Also, that the Spirit that rested on the Lord would rest on Christians: “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” Isaiah 11:2
- That any deception regarding the Voice be exposed and any underlying plans be revealed. “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8 NIV
- That the confusion around the Voice be cleared up with sufficient and accurate information so that people are fully informed when they vote for the Voice. “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV
- For social cohesion and unity in Australia to be strengthened and that the debate re the Voice will not be divisive and reverse the steps we have made in Australia towards reconciliation. “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Mark 3:25 NIV. Also, that it will not divide First Nations people from each other and that First Nations people will be healed from the hurts of history.
- That those for and against the Voice would have a robust but civil debate without intimidation and abuse and that people will not be silenced and intimidated from expressing their point of view. “Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies” … Philippians 1:28 NLT
- That those who are campaigning for the no case will be able to put forward credible alternatives and have similar funding and opportunities to the yes campaign to do so. This would not only include how constitutional recognition of First Nations people could be achieved but also how they can be consulted in a meaningful manner and what wording should be in the referendum the nation will vote on.
- For the Joint Select Committee on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum to reach wise conclusions for the benefit of Australia in a non-partisan way. The coalition are greatly outnumbered on this committee so the chances of any significant change are slim. But we know “history belongs to the intercessors.”
- That submissions to the Joint Select Committee outlining the pros and cons of the Voice are submitted in time as the closing date for submissions is 21 April and the committee reports back on 15 May. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Aboriginal_and_Torres_Strait_Islander_Voice_Referendum
- For wisdom for the Australian people as they vote on the referendum between October and December this year. This includes First Nations people on the ground.
- For wisdom of all those in positions of influence re the Voice debate – the Referendum Working Group, the Referendum Engagement Group, 1 the Constitutional Expert Group, all MPs and Senators, Premiers, Chief Ministers of the ACT and NT, state and local governments, yes and no campaigners, the media, First Nations organisations, corporations, unions, faith groups, sporting codes, First Nations sportspeople, and community organisations etc.
For more articles on the Voice by the author, check out:
https://blog.canberradeclaration.org.au/2023/03/27/the-voice-and-constitutional-recognition-of-first-nations-people-for-and-against-arguments/
https://reconciliationandpeace.org/2023/04/how-we-got-to-voice-treaty-truth/
Bad Politics or False Worship: Caterpillar Dreaming https://reconciliationandpeace.org/2023/04/bad-politics-or-false-worship-caterpillar-dreaming/
1 The Referendum Engagement Group includes those on the Referendum Working Group as well as additional people from the across the country including representatives from land councils, local governments and community-controlled organisations.